NAKEATIVE. 29 



taken to report upon any grounds suitable for the use of the European fish- or 

 shrimp-trawls if occasion presented itself. 



We first took a haul of the dredge to ascertain the bottom and, finding it soft and 

 muddy, put over the large fish-trawl about 7 miles north-east of Rameswaram, at a 

 depth of 7 fathoms, and towed for G or 7 miles in a south-easterly direction parallel 

 with the length of the island. A second haul of the trawl was made from the point 

 reached onwards in the same direction to a point due north of about the centre of 

 Adam's Bridge and distant about 9 miles. The third haul was from that point 

 onwards in a more easterly direction towards the Island of Manaar. The beam of the 

 trawl came up damaged on this occasion and had to be shortened by about a foot. 

 The fourth and last haul of the day was taken rather further out than the last and 

 further east, off the western end of Manaar Island, and about !) miles off shore. Here 

 the beam again broke and required to be repaired, but the contents of the net were 

 saved. The hauls varied from 4 to 7 miles in length and the trawl was generally 

 down nearly two hours. The bottom remained the same and the depth was very 

 uniform. In the middle of the stretch it deepened to 8 fathoms, but towards the end 

 we ran into 7 again. As these hauls were practically continuous, and as the 

 conditions and the results were so much alike in ail cases, I think it best to consider 

 the whole day's work as one locality (Station XVIII.), lying to the north of Adam's 

 Bridge and contrasting markedly with the much more irregular bottoms and hard 

 ground lying to the south in the Gulf of Manaar. 



STATION XVIII. South-west part of Palk Bay, off Rameswaram Island and Adam's 

 Bridge, from 7 to 9 miles off shore ; depth 7 to 8 fathoms ; bottom fine soft 

 bluish-grey mud containing casts of various Molluscan shells ; four hauls of 

 fish -trawl and one haul of dredge : 



Holothurian (white and minutely spinous, apparently a new species of Synapta), 

 Salmacis bicolor ; 



Nemertine (large red, like Valencia splendida, and also two slender white ones), 

 (?) Terebella tubes, (?) Sabella tubes, Chlceia ceylonica, Gastrolepidia clavigera, other 

 Polychaetes ; 



Anilocra sp., Squilla sp., Macrurids (sev.), Portunids and other crabs : 



Eburna sp., Turbinetta rapa, Fusus turriada, Nassaria acuminata, Mitra 

 pyvamidalis, Cerithium citrinum, Murex tenuispina (many), Natica (with egg-coil), 

 Mya sp., Pinna fumata, Lithodomus sp., Dentalium (up t<> 3^ inches long), 

 Cephalopod eggs ; 



Balanoglossus (probably Glandiceps Jutekii). 



The Fish* caught on this occasion were : 



" Cat-fish" (Arius venosus, Cuv. and Val.) ; 



" John Dory" {Gazza equal oaf ovmis, Riu j p., and Equala splendens, Cuv.). Up to 



* I give the English rough equivalent as entered at the time in the diary, followed by the scientific 

 name as determined since by Mr. J. JOHNSTONE, who will report upon the fishes in detail. 



